


The Engineer, The Pilot, and The Pigeon

by Scotty1609



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Angst and Feels, Anxiety Attacks, Big Brother Matt (Voltron), Brogane, Character Death, Family Reunions, Gen, Holt family feels, Hunk (Voltron) is a Gift, Hurt/Comfort, Keith and Shiro are Siblings, M/M, Matt is Willing to Give Shiro a Hug, Mutual Pining, Nicknames, Panic Attacks, Pidge is Precious, Pining Matt (Voltron), Pining Shiro (Voltron), Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder - PTSD, Protective Keith (Voltron), Protective Lance (Voltron), Protective Shiro (Voltron), Shiro (Voltron) Has PTSD - Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder, Space Dad Sam Holt (Voltron), Space Dad Shiro (Voltron), Space Family Feels, Started Hetero, Turned Super Gay, hella fluff, shiro needs a hug
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-28
Updated: 2017-01-28
Packaged: 2018-09-20 12:38:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Major Character Death
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,856
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9491270
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Scotty1609/pseuds/Scotty1609
Summary: Or else, the Paladins and two Blade of Marmora members are captured by what they hope are potential allies, Matt Holt protects his Space Fam, Shiro is way overdue for an emotional breakdown, Pidge is Matt and Shiro's child, and everyone lives happily ever after... (Only not really.)





	

**Author's Note:**

> So I am starving for Holt Family Feels and Matt/Shiro, so I spent way too much time on this fic. I hope you enjoy the angst! (And please forgive me...)
> 
> Shiro calls Matt 'Matty'; Matt calls Shiro 'Taka'; Shiro calls Pidge 'Katie'; Matt calls Pidge 'Pigeon'; and Pidge calls Matt 'Mouse'... Canon confirmed, no arguments allowed.
> 
> WARNINGS: PTSD, panic/anxiety attacks, vomiting, character death

The Blade of Marmora was a small group for the power that backed it. With only about a dozen inside operants and a mere thirty working from the outside, they needed all the help they could get. There seemed to be a biological predisposition amongst the Galra to be prideful, however- something that made Shiro add a tick to his mental list of 'How Alien Species are Similar to Earthlings'- and so they refused to comply to another rebel group's request to join them. The other group- the Aneretic Cross, as they had referred to themselves in their transmission- had reached out to the Blade of Marmora just before their no-stops mission to take out Zarkon. Shiro kept the information from the other paladins, but Keith had somehow found out and joined his brother in a screaming contest with Kolivan about whether or not they should accept the olive branch. Shiro and Keith were, of course, all for the backup, but Kolivan didn't trust the unknown group despite any claims they made about searching for universal peace and freedom.

And then Antok and Thace were killed in the final battle, and Shiro disappeared. He came back, of course, horribly injured and murmuring in a crazed voice about Zarkon and astral planes. Hunk and Allura- the two other strongest members of the team- ended up having to full-body tackle the man into a cryo-pod. Five days later, Shiro emerged with his head stable and went directly to the Blade of Marmora.

The resistance group was much more accepting of help the second time.

And so, the paladins- flanked by Kolivan and the newest commanding officer who had taken over after Antok's untimely death, a female Galran named Xalarus (who Lance, of course, took a moment to hit on before she knocked him on his ass)- made their way over to the abandoned moon of Gathmoorak. Its native race having been wiped out several centuries before, Gathmoorak showed no signs of life on any of their sonars.

“Are we sure this is where the message came from?”

Pidge scoffed at Lance's inquiry. “ _Yes_ , I'm sure. They must have some sort of signal-blocking device set up.”

“It is not a very secure base of operations,” Kolivan growled. “These rebels are inexperienced. We cannot trust them.”

“Well you're here, aren't you?” Keith scoffed, making Kolivan grow silent. “Thought so.”

“Let's touch down, guys,” Shiro ordered Lance and Keith. Hesitant to take all of the Lions in case they ended up walking into a trap, Allura had ordered them to only take the black, blue, and red lions. “Use the stealth tech Pidge and Hunk installed- and Lance?”

“Yes, oh captain my captain?”

“ _Try_ to stay low.”

Lance rolled his eyes. “I am the _King_ of 'gettin on the DL', Shiro.”

Minutes later, they were completely surrounded.

“ _Lance_ ,” Shiro sighed more out of exasperation than anger.

“Hey! They shot first!”

Flanked at the back and sides, the paladins and Marmorans were led through the desert-like planet towards a massive glowing tree. It was the only sign of life Shiro could see towards any stretch of the horizon. The aliens- all of different species, some blue and scaly, some covered in metallic feathers, (Shiro thought he saw a humanoid figure in front of him until it turned and flashed a gaping, shark-like mouth and three large eyes at him)- had taken their weapons and chained them all together with impenetrable vines, wrists behind their backs and feet unable to move any more than fifteen inches apart.

The tree, their attackers' base, looked at least three miles in diameter, reaching so far into the sky that Shiro couldn't see where it stopped. Pink baubles lined the tangling green and blue vines that weaved in and out of what looked like steel-based bark. As they stumbled over giant roots, Pidge tripped and one of the aliens that had captured them kicked her side, barking for her to get up. This of course set a raving Keith and Lance loose and ended up with everyone getting an electric shock. Lazily, head foggy, Shiro groaned and stood, using his elbows to help a stumbling Pidge stand up.

They were boarded, entering an elevator-like structure that managed to house all of them and another ten aliens to guard them, and shot up at a rate that had Shiro's stomach dropping. Floors and floors and floors passed by, until they were miles above the surface of the abandoned moon. They weren't at the very top, but they were far enough up that Shiro couldn't see the ground through a tangle of branches and dusty clouds.

“Move,” a feminine voice barked, knocking Shiro forward towards a jail cell made of glowing vines and metal plating. Their group was thrown bodily into the prison, landing in a heap all on top of each other.

“Gerroff!” Pidge squeaked when Lance managed to land on her chest. “Can't breathe!”

“I'm not _that_ heavy,” the blue paladin teased her as he helped her sit up. “Where is this? Their base of operations?”

“Seems like it,” Xalarus growled, sending daggers towards Lance. He grinned sheepishly at the female soldier before turning to Shiro.

“So... any master plans, Cap?”

“We wait it out,” Shiro replied. “See what they want. It's possible that they _are_ the Aneretic Cross.”

“Then why'd they kidnap us?!” Hunk exclaimed.

“They need to keep their members safe,” Kolivan spoke. “Did you not notice the children? This is not a rebellion, it is a civilization.”

Shiro _had_ seen some rather short figures, but all aliens looked weird to him, so he couldn't assume any of them were children. But children on a rebel base? Then again, ninety percent of his crew was made of children, so who was he to judge?

It was only a few more minutes before a tall, broad-shouldered humanoid with tentacles for a mouth- Lance made a Pirates of the Caribbean reference and was elbowed harshly by Keith- entered their cell. He was flanked by two soldiers that were holding guns which pulsed with electricity, so Shiro knew there was no getting past them to the door unscathed.

“I am-” the man- Shiro was going to call him 'man', as his voice sounded quite deep- made several clicking noises that must have been his name. “But you can call me Zyrea.”

“Zyrea,” Shiro spoke before Kolivan could start cursing the other male out (for being the leader of an entire resistance group, the Galran had a rather short temper). “We mean no harm to you or your people. We are looking for the Aneretic Cross. They extended an offer of assistance to us a few days ago.”

Zyrea's eyes narrowed into beady black slits. “How do we know you are not lying to us? For all we know, those Galrans with you are still loyal to Zarkon.” His gaze lowered to Pidge, and he raised what must have been an eyebrow. “And how could we trust anyone who employs child soldiers?”

“I'm not a child!” Pidge objected, the bark disproving her point. “I'm not a kid any more than you're a great big pile of-”

“ _Pidge_ -” Shiro interrupted her before she could finish the thought.

The Cross's leader had not cared for the bitten-off insult, however, and approached Pidge with sharp fingers. “Your insolence will not go unpunished, child.” He raised his claws in the air, making to slash them down on Pidge's cheek, and Lance began screaming in Spanish while Keith writhed against his bonds, kicking out at the guards.

“Sir!” The assumingly female guard behind Zyrea stopped her leader. “The child- she looks like the Engineer.”

Zyrea considered the female's observation, lowering his hand slowly. “You!” he growled at Pidge, who was puffing her chest out in a display of bravado. “Do you have familial relations?”

Pidge's face lit up. “You- you know my family? You've met them?” Her voice was growing more excited by the moment, and she pushed herself to her knees. If he were physically able to, Shiro would have pulled her far, far away from Zyrea and his claws. “You just said one of your engineers looks like me, right?”

“Not _one_ of our engineers,” Zyrea informed her, relaxing back into a curious stance. “ _The_ Engineer. He is the one who created our signal shield. He is a brilliant young man.”

Pidge was vibrating with excitement. “That sounds like my brother,” she grinned. “Please, can we meet him? We need to see him! _Please_! He can sort all of this out, I promise!”

Considering the request, Zyrea slowly turned to the female guard who had defended Pidge. “Retrieve the Engineer.”

They waited in painful silence for what felt like hours. Shiro was watching with hesitation and concern as Pidge jittered around. Her face was still bright, although her eyes held a hint of fear. Shiro himself was feeling rather afraid, though he wouldn't let him teammates see it. What if this Engineer wasn't Matt? What if he entered the room and wasn't Pidge's brother, was some other brilliant young man? Would they be sentenced to death, accused of lying about their relation to the Engineer? Then again, the female soldier had said that Pidge looked like him, which had to mean something. And they had already gathered evidence from the Galra that Matt had been rescued by a rebel group. Could the Aneretic Cross be that group?

The door cell opened, and Shiro's heart stopped.

The familiar pale skin, the bright brown eye and freckles dotting his nose, were a relieving sight. His hair had grown longer, and there was a scar over his left eye that left it a blind white. But he was there. _Matt_ was _there_.

It took Matt a moment to process the sight of five humans before him. But then his gaze rested on Pidge- on her familiar nose, her freckles near identical to his- and Matt let loose a wretched, relieved cry. Collapsing to his knees, Matt pulled Pidge to his chest and wept into her hair. “ _Katie_ ,” he sobbed out between harsh breaths. Pidge was burrowing her face into Matt's chest, crying even harder than her brother as she wriggled against her bonds to try and throw her arms around him. “Katie, how are you- you're _here_ and-” Matt smiled, withdrawing to get a good look at her. “You cut your hair.”

Pidge's sobs turned to laughter, and the grin on her face lit up the whole room. “Of _course_ that's the first thing you notice.”

An arm still thrown around the girl's shoulders, Matt looked around at the other figures in the room. His eyes came to rest on Shiro.

Shiro's gut lurched at the look, cold fear washing over his body at the look on Matt's face. A mix of fear, disbelief, joy, and _love_ was stretched out over the other man's features. He recognized Shiro, through the white hair and the prosthetic arm and the scar marring his face- but he _recognized_ him. With shaking hands, Matt moved over to his pilot and touched the scar on his nose. “T- _Takashi_?” The broken way Matt said his name had Shiro falling apart at the seams.

“Matt-” he choked on the name, eyes squeezing shut to hide his tears. “ _Matt_ -”

And then Matt was embracing Shiro with the same ferocity he had Pidge, nestling his face in Shiro's neck. His hot breath made goosebumps pop up on Shiro's skin, and the man couldn't help the gentle wetness that dripped down his face. “Matt- you're _alive_ -”

“Y-Yeah,” Matt stammered as he pulled away and wiped his own tears. Turning to Zyrea, the Engineer's face turned cold. “Why the hell are they still locked up? Let them go!”

Matt must have been especially high up in the chain of command, because the guards immediately moved to let the paladins and Marmorans loose (they released Pidge and Shiro first, of course, after the emotional display they had seen). As soon as her cuffs fell slack, Pidge was in Matt's arms, still crying as she wrapped her thin arms around his figure. Matt kissed the crown of her head and, seeing Shiro's longing expression, pulled the taller man to join their embrace.

After everyone else was released, Shiro reluctantly pulled away from the Holt siblings. “It's good to see you again.” And thankfully his voice was finally back under control. “How are you?”

“Well-fed and watered!” Matt joked, an arm slung around Pidge's shoulders. “I've been here for months now. The Cross rescued me from a Galran transport ship not too long after we lost you. I- We hadn't known you'd escaped. We thought-” his eyes softened, gaze growing woeful. “We thought you were _dead_ , Takashi.”

An uncomfortable silence settled over them before Hunk- thank heavens for the gentle paladin- cleared his throat. “Ah- hiya! So you're Matt, huh? We've heard a lot about you.” It was a lie, Pidge never talked about her family beyond how much she needed to find them, but the statement made Matt smile as per intended.

“All good, I hope.”

Keith stepped forward then, offering his hand to the Engineer. “Keith Kogane. I'm-”

“Takashi's little brother!” Matt grinned, ignoring Keith's hand to instead pull him into a tight hug. Keith tensed, then relaxed, patting Matt's back awkwardly. “He told us all about you on the way to Kerberos.” Keith's glare was half-hearted as he directed it at Shiro, who chuckled in response.

“Hunk!” the yellow paladin squeaked out his name when Matt released Keith. “I'm Hunk Garrett. Me and Lance, Lance McClain-” he gestured to the blue paladin, who waved happily when his name was spoken, “We were at the Garrison with Pidge.”

“Pidge?” Matt raised an eyebrow, sending a sly grin to his little sister. “As in _Pigeon_?”

“Shut it, _Mouse_.”

Another laugh roared from Matt's lungs, and Shiro found himself gazing at the Engineer a bit too long, a bit too contentedly. His heart warmed at the sound, his stomach feeling fluttery. It had been much, much too long since he heard Matt's laughter. The other man had rarely even smirked while they were captive by the Galra. The last time Shiro heard Matt's laughter, it was when he had told his friend a story about an eleven-year-old Keith taking Shiro's red speeder for a joyride and crashing it into a sand dune. ( _“Sounds like something Katie would try to do. Her feet wouldn't even reach the pedals, though.”_ )

“Let's get you guys some food,” Matt said as he grabbed Shiro's hand, somehow managing to loop his arm around Pidge's waist and also gesture at the boys to follow. The man shot Zyrea a cold glare as they left the cell.

They all entered the elevator again, and Kolivan and Xalarus were introduced. Despite his history with the Galra, Matt's ever-present politeness had him shaking their hands vigorously. If Samuel Holt had instilled anything into his children, it was creativity and manners- not that Pidge really _used_ her manners during dinner time, but she was still a child, so Shiro ignored the occasional slip-up to instead tell Lance to chew with his mouth closed.

Matt led them out of the elevator into a large, ballroom-esque dining hall. It was the captains' dining hall, Shiro could tell by the familiar sight of a bar off to the side of the room and a long table that took center stage. Pulling a chair out for Pidge, Matt pushed her up to the table before gesturing for the others to take their seats. Shiro settled in on Matt's side, the other being occupied by Pidge. Keith took a spot next to his brother and across from Lance, their little group being finished off by Hunk sitting in front of Shiro with Kolivan and Xalarus at the far end. A feast was brought out to them not too long after that, and the paladins all cheered upon seeing something other than space goo. Fruits and meats of all different shapes and colors were sat in front of them, marshmallow-like treats on sticks a familiar sight to the paladins. Shiro smirked when he saw Pidge sneaking the marshmallows into her backpack, remembering back to the party with the Arusians.

“So, how the _hell_ are you guys this far out from Earth?” Matt asked, and Lance, Hunk, and Pidge launched into an energetic explanation of how they found the blue lion, met Allura and Coran, and became paladins of Voltron. “Wow,” Matt took a moment to process all the information. “So, how do you guys like space?”

Shiro was growing suspicious of Matt's questions. The Engineer had always been inquisitive, just like his little sister, groping and reaching for any and every drop of information he could find. But, during the entire course of their meal, he said not a peep about the Commander.

It was Pidge who finally asked, of course.

“Have- Have you found Dad? I mean, he obviously isn't here or he'd be eating with us, but you've at least seen him since you escaped, right?”

Matt's non-blind eye turned to his little sister, and Shiro could see the tightening of his friend's muscles, the tautness of his jaw. “Katie,” Matt's voice was wobbly as he took the green paladin's hand, his other carding through her short hair. “Dad... He didn't make it off the first transport ship.”

The words caused the room to go still, the paladins all staring at Pidge, waiting for a reaction. The girl seemed to be in shock, her eyes wide and mouth parted slightly. After a few moments, the tears began. She grabbed Matt's shirt front, body shaking like it had earlier, as she tried to stifle her sobs. The Engineer held her tighter than before, nestling his face in her hair as he fought his own shivers.

Shiro was in shock as well. The Commander ( _“Call me Sam, son. We're going to be spending months together after all, and 'Commander' is a bit too much of a mouthful.”)_ was so strong, so smart, so _invincible_. Shiro had never lied to Pidge when he promised they would find her family alive- at least, he hadn't meant to. He had genuinely believed that Matt and Sam were okay, that they would be able to escape somehow like he had, that they were fine. _They were fine_ , he had told himself when he lurched up in bed in the wee hours of morning from night terrors, clutching at his chest as he fought for air. They were fine, and the team would find them, and they would join the fight against Zarkon. Matt would join Pidge and Hunk in fiddling with the lions' hardware, and Sam would chide Lance and Keith when they fought, ever so patient and fatherly. Matt would get along swimmingly with Allura, eager to hear her stories about Altea, and Sam would teach Shiro how to be a leader, how to command the teenage paladins without being a dictator, how to help them learn to harness their strengths and cover for each others' weaknesses. Sam would father the whole team, like he had fathered Shiro on the way to Kerberos...

And then he was standing and walking out of the room, Keith and Matt calling after him as Pidge's loud sobs filled the dining hall, drowning out Hunk's and Lance's futile attempts to placate her. He was dizzy, a hole in his chest. Stumbling through a pair of doors, Shiro found himself in another room. This one was smaller, and had a balcony that led out to the cold night-time air of the desert moon. He gripped the bannister which guarded a fall down to the depths- depths that Shiro couldn't see the end of, nausea rising at the height.

He vomited over the foliage railing, feeling the delicious meat and fruit from dinner burning his throat as it came back up. His eyes squeezed shut, his prosthetic arm glowing brightly and burning a hole in the balcony bannister. This caused him to lose his grip, and he stumbled.

Lithe but strong arms caught him, wrapped around his chest and sat him down onto a chilly metal floor. A hand was in the white tuft of hair on his head, stroking and trying to bring him back to himself. A finger tapped his cheek firmly, and Shiro only then realized that he wasn't breathing.

Air rushed into his lungs, and a voice filtered in to his ears.

“-good, Takashi. Just breathe, alright? Just follow my breathing-” A hand took his, and then he was touching a chest, his fingers spasming as ribs inflated and deflated beneath them with exaggerated breathing. “You're okay. You're _here_ , you're safe-”

“ _Sam_ ,” Shiro croaked out, tears falling down his cheeks unbidden. “I- lied to you, Katie I- oh God, I'm so sorry, I'm so, so sorry- _Matt_ -”

“ _Takashi_!” A smack to his cheek- light enough to where it wouldn't hurt him, but sharp enough to startle him from his panic- made Shiro stop talking long enough to look up.

Matt's gaze was fearful and concerned, his hand gripping Shiro's wrist in a vice as he forced the black paladin to breathe in time with him. “Hey, _focus_ on me, alright? Just focus on my voice.”

It took a few minutes, but the tears and the panic faded, replaced by exhaustion. Shiro slumped against Matt, his nose resting against the Engineer's cheek. When Matt let out a broken chuckle, Shiro pulled away from him. “I'm sorry, Matt,” he stumbled for words, “you shouldn't be doing this. You shouldn't be comforting me- You should be with Katie and-”

“Pigeon cried herself to sleep,” Matt informed him with a gentle voice, his hand taking Shiro's. “I took her back to my room.” At the pilot's confused look, Matt said, “Takashi, you've been out here for almost thirty minutes.”

_Oh_. So that was why Matt came to his rescue.

“I'm sorry,” he said again, only to be cut off by a slap to the shoulder.

“Quit apologizing. He- he was like a father to you, too.”

“But he _wasn't_ my father, he was _yours_.” Shiro's voice was growing angry. “I should be the one trying to comfort _you_ -”

“I've had months to grieve, Takashi. I- I'm not _okay_ , but I'm _better_. Understand? It's okay, alright?” Matt stood and dragged Shiro with him. “Let's get inside. It's freezing. And I promised Katie we'd be there when she woke up.”

Matt led Shiro through the base, pointing out tech and important people with a false cheer. They passed by several creations of his own, including a robot dog that trailed after them for several floors and looked exactly like the picture of Gunther that Sam kept on his Garrison desk. It sat next to an image of a proud big brother Matt holding his newborn sister. There was another frame that showed Matt and Shiro with their arms over each others' shoulders, proudly holding up the documents that approved their mission to Kerberos.

Before he knew it, Shiro was stepping into Matt's room. It was a little bigger than his own quarters at the Castleship, an earthy feeling to it what with the foliage that sprouted from corners and the ceiling. They cast a dull pink glow over the room, and Shiro wondered how Matt was able to sleep. The soft light reminded him far too much of the harsh glare of purple electricity that lighted the hallways of Galra ships.

Pidge was asleep in Matt's bed, curled up into as tight of a ball as she could manage. Someone had tucked a fur hide blanket over her, tucking in the corners to hide her feet and shoulders. Her plump, childish cheeks were stained with the residue of tears. Matt crept over to a desk that sat on the opposite side of the room, pulling a chair out for Shiro to sit. He himself perched on the edge of the bed, and Pidge didn't even stir as the mattress shifted.

“I'm sorry,” Shiro said again, and Matt let out a huff.

“I already told you, it's fine. Everyone needs to cry every once in a while-”

“Not for that. For-” he croaked, “-for hurting you in the gladiator hall. For leaving you and Sam- for abandoning you guys and letting him- letting him _die_ -”

“Takashi Shirogane.”

Matt's voice was firm and low, strong enough to shake Shiro's core but quiet enough to not wake Pidge.

“Don't. You. _Dare_.” Matt looked livid, his eyes glossy and fists clenched. “Don't you _dare_ blame yourself. It wasn't your fault that Dad- that he died. It- it was _theirs._ ”

“How...” Shiro couldn't finish the sentence, but Matt got the gist of it.

“The Galra had captured a family. There was a kid- a little girl. She wasn't human of course, but- she had really long hair. And it was colored like Katie's...” The black paladin could already tell where the story was going. “They were going to throw her into the ring, use her as bait for some monster. They did it to upset her father- he was a scientist, apparently. They needed him for-” A wave of the hand. “- _something_ evil. But Dad... the Galra grabbed her, and he went _ballistic_. I've only ever seen him like that once before, and it was when some jackass almost hit me and Gunther with his car... The soldiers- they... They shot him on site.”

Shiro's flesh hand found Matt's, lacing their fingers together and squeezing. Matt squeezed back. “Your eye...” Shiro began. “What about that? How did it...?”

“When I was being rescued by the Cross. A soldier got in a lucky shot with his sword.” Matt shrugged. “It's not too bad. My peripheral vision is shit, but it's nothing I can't live with.”

A silence settled over them. Shiro took the time to inspect Matt's face, eyes tracing the pink scar that partially blinded the man. There was another scar that Shiro hadn't noticed before on the inside corner of Matt's collarbone. It looked like it had gone deep, puckering out and colored a brilliant red. _That one's new_ , Shiro told himself. _The hell have you been getting yourself into, Matty?_

Matt opened his mouth to speak, but a whimper cut him off. Both men looked to the bed, where Pidge's face was contorted in pain. She whimpered again, louder, and mumbled out a word Shiro couldn't understand. “Hey, hey, Katie,” Matt crooned to her, rubbing her scalp. “It's okay. It's not real, it's just a nightmare. Katie. _Katie_.”

But Pidge's whimpers weren't fading. They were growing stronger. Matt looked like he was at a loss of what to do. Rubbing her scalp had always been able to lull the girl back to sleep. He looked to Shiro helplessly, and the black paladin moved to crouch in front of Pidge. Gently, he moved Matt's hand away and, instead of going to touch the girl's head, put a hand on the side of her neck and gently moved his thumbs in circles. “Katie,” he crooned, “it's gonna be okay. We're all safe- Lance, Keith, Hunk- nobody's hurt, okay? And we found Matt- he's safe, too. Nobody here is going to hurt us.” She mumbled under her breath, something Matt couldn't make out. Apparently Shiro could though, because he responded according, “That's right, Katie. You did it- you saved us. Sendak's gone. Lance is alright.”

Slowly, the girl's face relaxed, her body going limp under her leader's gentle touch.

A broken laugh burned Shiro's ears.

Shiro turned to Matt, startled, and the other man huffed out, “I don't even know how to comfort her anymore...”

“Matt-”

“You've protected her, Shiro, just like I asked you to. You got back to Earth, like you promised, and you've been protecting her ever since.”

“Matt, I dragged your baby sister via giant mechanical lion through a wormhole and let her fight a centuries-old alien Hitler.”

Matt had to slap a hand over his mouth to hide his chuckles. “She's always wanted to see space anyways.” The Engineer put his hand on Pidge's shoulder, taking Shiro's example and rubbing small circles through her shirt. “...Thank you, Takashi. For helping Katie, for keeping me from the gladiator ring...” His brown eyes searched deeply into his friend's. As he held Shiro's hand, Matt's eyes looked past the memories of the Champion, looked past the sleepless bags under Shiro's lids, looked past the hurt and the anger and the scars. “Thank you for leading Voltron. Thank you for stepping up and becoming the hero I always knew you could be- the hero that _Dad_ knew you could be.”

And if Shiro burst back into tears when the other man kissed his forehead, Matt said nothing of it. His mouth rested against Shiro's skin for just a moment too long, relishing the warmth of his pilot's skin beneath his lips. “Taka...” he murmured into the black paladin's skin. “Taka, _thank you_.”

The other paladins found them hours later, curled up around Pidge protectively as they held each others' hands.

 

**Author's Note:**

> Matt and Shiro are canon. They adopt Pidge and the boys and become a Space Fam, and Matt bonds with Allura over embarrassing stories about Shiro. Matt mentors Hunk and bonds with Coran over badass Altean technology. Lance and Keith fall in love and Shiro and Matt give them the Talk.  
> SPACE FAM IS CANON.  
> YOU CAN RIP IT FROM MY COLD, DEAD HANDS.
> 
> ...I hope you enjoyed. :)


End file.
